Culture

A-Sexomatic: Dealing with asexuality

Culture

A-Sexomatic: Dealing with asexuality

If you believe, as Bette Davis quipped, that "sex is God's joke on human beings," you're not alone. Using the bell curve analogy for human sexuality, for every hump in the middle, there are extremes at both ends: those with an amped sex drive and those who can take it or leave it. This became clear to Seattle-based author Joan Sewell when she asked her husband how much sex he'd have in an ideal world. "Oh, I don't know," he replied. "Maybe five or six times a week." This revelation was one of the things that prompted her to write I'd Rather Eat Chocolate: Learning to Love My Low Libido.

"My sex drive couldn't ride the huge cultural sex wave that kept coming in," writes Sewell. "Instead, I was being beaten against the beach. The culture had turned, and there was no way to push back the tide. The sexperts, the pro-family traditionalists, the feminists and the skin peddlers of the media were all on the same side now, hoping to tug my sexuality in a more lustful direction to sell their products or save my marriage."

"In a society that's all about sex, imagine how you must feel when you don't want to do it," says Toronto-based author Elizabeth Abbott, whose book A History of Celibacy is primarily concerned with sex -- or the lack thereof. "Even the word 'frigid' makes someone sound cold," she says.

What is considered normal?When it comes to sex, however, what's considered "normal" is in a constant state of flux. When Oprah Winfrey tackled the subject of low sexual desire on her show, it proved to be a revelation for Sewell. "Oprah said that an estimated 40 million American women were suffering," she says. "In the back of my mind, I thought, 'How could nearly half of women be dysfunctional? What is the norm, and who's deciding it?'" Until recently, doctors and scientists viewed a lack of desire as a pathology or sexual dysfunction, but their viewpoints just might be changing. When Procter & Gamble sought approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004 for its female sexual-desire disorder "treatment" -- a testosterone patch called Intrinsa -- testimony from academics, sex therapists and women's health activists on the FDA advisory committee led the agency to deny its request. Dr. Lori Brotto, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, first became aware of asexuality's prevalence in society in her job as a sex therapist. "I saw a lot of people with low desire -- people who would say 'Well, I'm just not a sexual person.'" She was sufficiently intrigued to launch a study of asexuality -- research that began with an online survey of 250 asexually identified people from around the world. She is now in the midst of a follow-up project with 15 individuals who were invited back for in-depth interviews. "These interviews have raised a lot of questions," says Brotto. "We are finding that asexuality is not a sexual dysfunction."

Instead, asexuality may represent a fourth sexual orientation, explains Dr. Anthony Bogaert, a psychology professor at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., who undertook one of the first studies into the existence of human asexuality. "You can be attracted to the opposite sex, the same sex or both sexes," he says. "But, until recently, the fourth orientation -- being attracted to neither sex -- has not been addressed."

Discovering that you're asexualOnce you've discovered that you are asexual, the next hurdle can be finding someone to share that with. Finding a like-minded partner can seem like an impossible task -- hence the growing popularity of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN). Founded in 2001 by a young man named David Jay, AVEN currently operates an online community for asexually identified people and their families and friends and boasts more than 12,000 members worldwide. The very existence of AVEN indicates that asexuals make up a large subset of the sexual world. Some estimates propose that they constitute anywhere from one to six percent of the population.

Jackie* is a thirty-something woman who lives near Toronto. She is well spoken, smart and funny -- and not interested in sex. "I thought something was wrong with me," she says. "My friends would say 'Oh, he's so hot!' and I'd nod my head and change the subject. I remember seeing the AVEN people on 20/20 and thinking, 'Hey, that's me!' I started posting right away. I never thought that an asexual man actually existed. My ex-boyfriend used to say that every man was interested in sex -- that it's all men ever think about. I didn't want to be alone, but I didn't want to go into another relationship that would end in failure." Jackie is currently looking for a partner (she has placed an ad on an asexual-dating site), but, as she says, "It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

Asexuals and marriageSome asexuals do get married and -- ironically, mirroring many mainstream marriages -- don't have sex. Victoria Glancetts, who lives in North Carolina, met her husband, Karl, through AVEN. They have been married for just over a year. Now 29, Glancetts discovered AVEN two weeks before her 25th birthday. "It was nice to meet people like myself and talk to men who weren't just trying to hit on me," she says. "Compliments seem so much more genuine when the other person isn't trying to look down your blouse, you know?"

Karl's experience was similar. "After a couple of failed relationships, I avoided getting involved," he says, "because I knew that I didn't want to have sex with anyone and I thought that sex was an integral part of any romantic relationship."

Like most married couples, Victoria and Karl are intimate -- just not in the way you would expect. "The chief thing about not being interested in sex is that it has given us time to get to know each other slowly without hormones clouding our judgment," says Glancetts. "In terms of cuddles and hugs, we're very affectionate. We shower together once or twice a week, which, I guess, is intimate -- though mainly it's just nice to have someone else wash my back."

Glancetts says that the media must share part of the blame for some people's sense of disillusion about sex, especially younger people. "They see what it's 'supposed' to look like on TV and in films," she says. "Then they try it and think 'That's it?! What a gyp!' Most of my friends are sexual and they're not all swinging from the chandeliers, saying how great it is, so I'm not too bothered by it." Far from the agony of no ecstasy, asexuals often seem remarkably cheerful, healthy and happy -- just not horny.

Does sex equal happiness?The connection between sex and happiness is, at best, a tenuous one. In a recent paper entitled "Toward a Conceptual Understanding of Asexuality," Bogaert cites a study from The University of Chicago that suggests that as many as 40 percent of those who didn't have sex in the past year considered themselves to be very happy. According to Bogaert, this suggests that "the relationship between sexuality and life satisfaction isn't very strong and that some people can have rich lives without sex."

But some asexuals have sex. "It's important to keep in mind that asexual people may not be in relationships that are entirely sexless," adds Bogaert. "Although they may not enjoy it or have any interest in it, they may still engage in sex to please their partners -- if their partners happen to be sexual." This point is reiterated by Brotto: "One thing that's intriguing is that many asexuals engage in sexual behaviour," she says. "They masturbate or engage in sex but don't feel driven to this behaviour by the heat of passion. Masturbating may be a way of releasing tension, getting to sleep or pleasing their partners."

In some ways, the asexual movement is turning previous sexual revolutions on their heads. What was once liberation (free love, gay rights) is now the opposite: everyone feels pressure to do it all the time, in new locales and positions. This may be asexuality's most revolutionary aspect: the freedom to say "No thanks, I'd rather eat chocolate" and feel just fine.

Frank + Oak and the NBA team up on Raptors merch

Trends

Frank + Oak and the NBA team up on Raptors merch

Canadian fashion label Frank + Oak is always up to something, and tomorrow the Montreal-based brand will drop a 9-piece Raptors collection in collaboration with the NBA. The pieces that make up the line are directional, minimal and best of all—unisex. The pieces include a crisp Oxford shirt patterned with a subtle team logo, a heather grey waffle knit mock-neck and a leather backpack. The coolest piece might be the two-tone pop-over shirt. The Oxford's mock-neck collar and mix of materials offer a completely new take on fan gear. Even fair-weather fans (hey, no judgement) will be tempted by this sleek collab.

The collection will launch tomorrow online and at Frank + Oak's Queen West and CF Sherway Gardens outposts as well as the Real Sports Apparel shop at the Air Canada Center. The brand is set to release merch for 5 more NBA teams in 2017. Until then, go Raptors, go!

The trailer for the new Baywatch movie is here

Movies & TV

The trailer for the new Baywatch movie is here

You know what your Thursday needs? This teaser trailer for the Baywatch reboot, that's what.

Now, we could extoll the virtues of this clip—The Rock! Zac Efron's abs! The Rock and Zac Efron's abs on a moped together!—but that would deprive you of the joy of experiencing this surprisingly funny clip with fresh eyes yourself.

Trends

Meet our January 2017 cover girl: Canadian model Crista Cober

Canadian model (and star of our January fashion story) Crista Cober has been working in the industry for 12 years, but she’s still wrapping her head around the public’s desire to know about her inner life. “I’m a professional model, so I think, wait, ‘you also want to know about me?” explains the Wellesley, Ont. native over the phone, having just returned from a lookbook shot in Milan.

Lucky for us, Toronto-based Cober offers a glimpse at her day-to-day on her largely unfiltered, just-as-I-am Instagram feed, where the model’s nine-month old daughter Lou makes the odd (adorable) appearance. Over the course of our chat, Cober opened up about motherhood, rebellion and yes, modelling.

Tell me about your day shooting for the cover of ELLE Canada's January issue.

“It was the quintessential Canadian vibe—a true collaboration. The location [Crown Flora Studio] was beautiful; it was like breathing in the tropics. I shot with [the photographer] Max Abadian 12 years ago. It was my very first shoot. So that was a very special moment. And I got to have my daughter on set.”

“Yes. I’m less inclined to say yes to some amazing projects. It’s much harder; I used to go from one job to the next, to the next. And now I have to be a lot more selective.”

Other than your schedule, what factors make you say yes?

“The people. I value my time, and to be away from someone I think is the greatest person on the planet, I want to make sure that I’m working with the right people. After 12 years, I have a better judge of things,”

How else have you evolved as a model in 12 years?

“I feel like I can collaborate a bit more with the people running the ship. I can be a bit more involved. I think now there’s a bit more of an interest in who I am as a person, rather than just what I look like. I’m not sure I like that yet.”

So how do you feel about that? It sounds like it plays into today’s phenomenon of the Insta-model.

“I’m in my 30s now, so I feel like I kind of skipped it. I like to use Instagram to post the pictures of what I want to show, as opposed to letting it have anything to do with work. Once I did a fragrance shoot, I understood that ‘now you’re the face!’ There was a lot of PR, a lot of hype. I had a moment of feeling like I wanted to keep my business and my life separate.

Would you say you’re shy?

“I had an amazing agent when I started in Toronto. I learned that this is a business and you’re self-employed. At the end of the day, you run you. There are a lot of beautiful faces out there, but there are less kind people. I approached going into my agency as my biggest casting. I wouldn’t say I’m shy, but I’m professional.”

Do you feel like this isn’t what you singed up for when you started?

“I was lucky to be able to stop modelling and come back. When I first started skateboarding, everyone thought that was really cool and wanted to incorporate it [into shoots]. And I was like, ‘this is just my mode of transportation because my bike got stolen! ‘I’m not a skater!”

Do you still skateboard?

“Yeah. Everywhere.”

What’s your advice to young models?

“Just love yourself so much for you! The business is always changing; something that doesn’t fit one day will fit another day.”

How did you start modelling?

“I was scouted by an incredible model scout, Anthony Gordon. He was an amazing ballet dancer and he had an eye for faces. He wasn’t a scout at the time, but we went to the same high school, 10 years apart. He found my picture in a yearbook. 5 days later he bumped into me at a shopping mall and when I told him my name, he said, ‘you will not believe this!’ and told me the story and took me to Elmer Olsen. Then I did my first editorial and that was the start."

Was there a point when you thought to yourself “wow, I’m a model. This is my career now.”

“No, I think that took a couple of years. I remember [the agency] showing me Daria on the cover of Vogue and explaining that that was my potential, then I went straight to New York, and from there to Paris.”

What made you stop modelling for a while?

“I came from an athletic background and I was a swimmer. The agency in Paris sent me back immediately because they said I was too big. I came back to Canada, and I thought, ‘this is my body.’ It was the size of my hands and my wrists [that they talked about].”

How did it feel to hear that?

“It made me stronger, more rebellious. But it gave me the opportunity to stop, and start again. When I was 21 I stopped for four months and I went to South America.”

Do you have any hopes or goals for your career?

“An amazing beauty contract or something that sets up 6o days of the year. Before I didn’t want to know what was coming up the next month. Now I love the idea of having more of a set schedule.”

So what does life look like right now?

“For now, I’m just enjoying. My daughter travels so well, and my husband works from home. So on the days we have nothing, we’re just exploring Toronto.”

ELLE Canada Model Search 2017

Contests

ELLE Canada Model Search 2017

Have you ever wanted to see yourself in ELLE Canada? Enter our ELLE Canada Model Search presented by Smashbox Cosmetics for your chance to be in the spotlight in an editorial feature PLUS be flown out to L.A. for a photo shoot at Smashbox Studios!

ENTER ON INSTAGRAM BY JANUARY 8, 2017

HOW TO ENTER:

1. TAG your Instagram images or videos with #ECMODELSEARCH17

2. FOLLOW @ELLECanada and @SmashboxCanada on Instagram

PRIZE:

Three (3) finalists will appear in an editorial feature in ELLE Canada.

One (1) winner will receive a round-trip flight to Los Angeles, two nights' accommodation and a styled photo shoot at Smashbox Studios.

--

ELLE Canada Model Search 2017 Rules

The ELLE Canada Model Search is held by Les Publications Groupe TVA- Hearst Inc. (ELLE Canada) and Smashbox, collectively hereinafter named: the “Model Search Organizers”. ELLE Canada is the Sponsor of the Model Search. The Model Search runs on Instagram, from December 1st, 2016 –at 6h00 to January 8th, 2017 at 23h59 ET (hereinafter: the “Search Period”).

ELIGIBILITY

This Model Search is open to all persons residing in Canada of at least the age of majority in their province of residence. Participant can’t be under any modelling contract when entering the Model Search. The following persons are excluded: employees, agents and representatives of Québecor Média inc., of Model Search Organizers’, of their parent and affiliated companies, their advertising and promotional agencies, partners, suppliers of prizes, materials and services related to this Model Search, or any other party directly linked to the holding of this Model Search, or their brother, sister, children, mother, father, their legal or common-law spouse and individuals with whom such employees, agents and representatives are domiciled.

HOW TO ENTER

Registration:

No purchase necessary. To participate in the Model Search, you simply have to have an Instagram account and enter the Model Search by posting during the Search Period your own photo and tag your images with #ECModelSearch17, @ellecanada, @smashboxcanada and include your age, height and hometown. If representatives from the Model Search Organizer are interested or need more information on you or your application, you will receive a "direct message" via Instagram from @ellecanada or @smashboxcanada. The fact that you have received or not a ‘’direct message’’ does not affect positively or negatively your ability to become the winner of the ELLE Canada Model Search.

Photos must consist of:

-Full body and Face

-15 second video is also acceptable (with full body and face)

You must respect the following limits, otherwise the Model Search Organizers reserve the right to cancel your participation:

You can submit as many photos/videos as you wish during the Search Period provided each are submitted in accordance with the ELLE Canada Model Search Rules;

You cannot submit photos/videos from more than one Instagram accounts, in the case you have more than one;

The Instagram account that you are using to submit your photos/videos must be public.

Additional requirements:

You are responsible for uploading/transmitting your picture/video for successful consideration during the Model Search Period in accordance with the ELLE Canada Model Search Rules. You must only submit picture/video that: i) are created, produced and developed by you; ii) are original work; iii) have not been previously published or be the subject of an agreement with a third party; iv) have not been considered for or won previous or similar search, recruitments, awards; v) does not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, rights of publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity; vi) have been created in a legal and safe manner by you; v) that are a representation of you (additional proof of identity may be requested by Model Search Organizers at their sole discretion if they deemed it necessary); vi) that have not been altered, modified or photo-shopped in any way.

You picture/video must not:

contain defamatory words/statements (including words or symbols that are widely considered offensive to individuals of a certain race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic group);

threaten any person, place, business, or group;

disparage persons or organizations associated with the Model Search Organizers;

invade privacy or other rights of any person, firm, or entity;

contain material that is in any way unlawful, in violation of or contrary to all applicable federal, provincial or municipal laws and regulations in Canada;

contain material that is inappropriate, indecent (including but not limited to nudity or pornography), profane, obscene, hateful, tortuous, slanderous or libelous;

refer to any person other then you or refer to any organization; and

be advertorial, promotional or relate to specific brand.

By participating in this Model Search and by submitting your photo/video, you hereby grant an non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, fully paid-up, royalty-free, fully sublicenseable and transferable right and license to the Model Search Organizers (and to third party duly authorized by the Model Search Organizers) to use the photo/video at their entire discretion, including without limitation (notably with respect of support, media, duration, language and territory) the right to edit or modify such photo/video for commercial or promotional purposes without any compensation whatsoever owed to you. You also waive all moral rights you may hold in or to your photo/video to the extent required for the license granted hereunder. Furthermore, by participating in this Model Search and by submitting your photo/video, you hereby authorize Model Search Organizers to use, at their entire discretion including without limitation (notably with respect of support, media, duration, language and territory), the content, in whole or in part, of any ‘’Direct Message’’ you are exchanging with the Model Search Organizers along with your age, height and hometown.

PRIZE

At the end of the Model Search, one (1) winner will be selected based on judging criteria to determine the top 15 finalists and a community vote to select the top 3 finalists. The winner be selected based on judging criteria and will benefit from the following prize, provided such winner is complying to the ELLE Canada Model Search Rules:

Round-trip flight to L.A. (economy)

2-night hotel stay

Photo Shoot at Smashbox Studios

Hair and make-up on set

(Value estimated at $10,000)

The following conditions apply:

The prize is not exchangeable and non-transferable;

The prize has to be accepted as it is;

If the prize or a portion of it is not used, no compensation will be given.

Dates are subject to changes.

WINNER SELECTION:

On January 9, 2016 at the offices of ELLE Canada, located in Toronto, Ontario, a maximum of fifteen (15) submissions will be selected by representatives from the ELLE Canada team. Any representative can be replaced by other professional exercising similar functions or any other person deemed suitable at Model Search Organizers’ sole discretion. Submissions will be selected from all pictures/videos received during the Model Search Period provided they were submitted in accordance with the ELLE Canada Model Search Rules. When assessing the pictures/videos, the representatives will take into consideration various criteria from industry experts. Decisions of ELLE Canada, and Smashbox representatives are finals and binding.

On January 12, 2016, the selected maximum of fifteen (15) submissions will be placed on the website of www.ellecanada.com/ecmodelsearch and will be featured until January 19th, 2016 to determine the top 3 submissions, after engaging the public to cast their votes on the ELLE Canada website. The public may vote once a day for the duration of the Model Search. The selected maximum of fifteen (15) participants each agree not to cast fraudulent vote nor to encourage the public to do so.

On January 23, 2016 at the offices of ELLE Canada, Toronto, Ontario, the top three (3) submissions (such submissions being the one to have received the most votes between January 12th, 2016 and January 19th, 2016), will be posted on ELLECanada.com/ecmodelsearch for the public to see.

FINALISTS MUST BE ABLE TO TRAVEL JANUARY 25th – MAY 31st 2016.

Late January, 2016, the selected three (3) finalists will be contacted by an ELLE Canada representative to participate in a photo shoot in Toronto (exact date to be confirmed). Finalists agree not to substantially modify on purpose their personal appearance from the date they are contacted by the ELLE Canada representative until the date of the photoshoot. If a selected finalist chooses not to participate to such photo shoot (for any reason, including prior commitments), such finalist will not be considered for the rest of the Model Search. At the photoshoot, representatives of the Model Search Organizers will evaluate each model on various criteria such as ability to be creative in front of the camera, posture, radiant smile, creativity when engaging in pictures, natural ease when pictures are taken, ability to adapt to directions and instructions from photographer, general attitude and personality.

The winner of the Model Search will be the finalist who has the best evaluation from the Model Search Organizers representatives at the photoshoot. The winner will be announced on ELLE Canada’s Instagram page during the first week of March.

Each finalist agrees to the publication, reproduction and other use of pictures/video and all picture/video taken at the photoshoot and during the Model Search Period by the Model Search representatives as well at their name, address, voice, statements about the Model Search and photograph or other likeness without further notice or additional compensation, in any publicity, advertisement or other promotional or commercial use carried out by or on behalf of the Model Search Organizers in any media, current or existing, including print, broadcast or the internet.

In order to be declared the winner, you must abide to all conditions related to the Model Search. Finalists are not official until they are contacted by an ELLE Canada representative. All finalists need to read and accept rules plus sign a release form to be considered in the Model Search and eventually to be declared winner.

Failing to comply with one of the conditions stated in the section above or any of the conditions provided in these ELLE Canada Model Search Rules, the entry of the finalist will be cancelled without any liability to the Model Search Organizers whatsoever, and the second runner up from the photoshoot will be elected winner (provided such winner complies with these ELLE Canada Model Search Rules).

GENERAL CONDITIONS

Verification. Pictures/videos are subject to verification by the Model Search Organizers, and participants agree to cooperate fully with Model Search Organizers in such respect. Any pictures/videos which is, as the case may be, incomplete, fraudulent, sent late, that does not bear the correct information will be rejected and will not be considered in the Model Search and Model Search Organizers shall have no liability in such respect, or in respect of lost, misdirected of garbled communication, printing, prizing or distributor errors.

Non-conforming entries. The Model Search Organizers reserve the right to disqualify any person participating in this Model Search or trying to participate by means contrary to these Rules or in a manner that is unfair to the other participants (e.g.: computer hacking, fake pictures/video etc.). Such person may be referred to the appropriate judicial authorities. Furthermore, Model Search Organizers, at their sole discretion, may subtract general votes from the public that are casted in a manner which is unfair to the other entrants.

Acceptance. Any prize must be accepted as described in the present Rules and as described in further descriptions provided by Model Search Organizers and cannot be transferred to another person, substituted for another prize nor exchanged in part. Prize is accepted “as is” without any warranty whatsoever.

Substitution. In the event where, for reasons not related to the finalists, the Model Search Organizers cannot award a prize (or part of a prize) as described in these Rules, they reserve the right to award a prize (or part of a prize) of the same or equivalent nature at their sole discretion.

Refusal to accept a prize. The refusal of a participant to accept a prize according to the terms and conditions of these Rules releases the Model Search Organizers of any obligation related to that prize towards that participant.

Liability – prize’s supplier. A participant who is selected for a prize recognizes that upon reception of the confirmation of his status as the winner of the prize, the execution of the services in respect to the prize is the sole responsibility of the supplier of the prize, in this case, Smashbox.

Liability limit – use of prize. Any participant releases Québecor Média inc., the Model Search Organizers and their parent and affiliated companies, their advertising and promotional agencies, their employees, agents and representatives from any and all liability for any and all damages that such participant may suffer from the acceptance or use of the prize. In order to be declared a winner, any finalist agrees, if required, prior to obtaining the prize, to sign a declaration form to such effect.Erreur ! Signet non défini.

Liability limit – running of the Model Search. Québecor Média inc., the Model Search Organizers and their parent and affiliated companies, their advertising and promotional agencies, their employees, agents and representatives are not liable for faulty computer components, software, or communication lines, relating to any transmission that is faulty, incomplete, incomprehensible or erased by any computer or network that could limit the possibility or prevent any person from participating in this Model Search and/or cast their votes. Québecor Média inc., the Model Search Organizers and their parent and affiliated companies, their advertising and promotional agencies, their employees, agents and representatives also will not be held liable for any damages or loss that could arise, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from downloading any Internet page, any software or any form and by the transmission of any data regarding the participation in this Model Search and the casting of the votes.

Modification. The Model Search Organizers reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Model Search and the Rules, in whole or in part, in the case of the occurrence of an event, an error or any human intervention that could corrupt or affect the administration, safety, impartiality or the running of the Model Search as foreseen in these Rules. In any case, the Model Search Organizers, their parent and affiliated companies, their advertising and promotional agencies, the suppliers of products or services related to this Model Search as well as their employees, agents and representatives cannot be held liable to award more prizes than those indicated in these Rules or to award prizes otherwise than in compliance with these Rules.

Impossibility to act – including labour dispute Québecor Média inc., the Model Search Organizers and their parent and affiliated companies, their advertising and promotional agencies, their employees, agents and representatives will not assume any liability whatsoever in any case where their incapacity to act would result from a fact or a situation beyond their control or a strike, lock-out or any other labour dispute in their establishment or in establishments of organizations or enterprises which services are used for holding this Model Search.

Liability limit– participation. Any person who participates or tries to participate in this Model Search releases the Model Search Organizers, their parent and affiliated companies, their advertising and/or promotional agencies, their employees, agents and representatives, from any and all liability for damages which such participant could suffer from participating or trying to participate in this Model Search.

Authorization. By entering this Model Search, any winner authorizes the Model Search Organizers, their partners and their representatives to use, if required, such participant’s name, photograph, likeness, declaration related to the prize, place of residence and/or voice without remuneration whatsoever and that, at their discretion and without limit as for the period of use, in any media and on a worldwide scale, for publicity purposes or for any purpose that will or may be pertinent.

Communication with entrants. No communication or correspondence will be exchanged with entrants in the context of this Model Search except as stated in the Rules.

Decisions of the Model Search Organizers. To the fullest extent allowed under the applicable laws, all decisions of the Model Search Organizers or those of their representatives regarding this Model Search are final and binding.

Identification of the participant. For the purposes of these Rules, the participant is the person who appears on the picture/video submitted and it is to this person to whom the prize will be awarded if selected and declared the winner.

Precedence. If an article in these Rules were to be declared or deemed illegal, unenforceable or invalid by a competent authority, then this article would be considered null and non-written, but all other items would not be affected and would find application in limits and authorized by the applicable law.

Rules Model Search. This is the official regulations and rules for the Elle Canada Model Search (the “Rules”) and these Rules are available on ELLE Canada Website and upon demand.

Non affiliation. This Model Search is not affiliated, sponsored, endorsed or administered by Instagram, nor is Instagram ,nor is Instagram associated with the Model Search in any way. By entering, you acknowledge that Instagram bears no responsibility for this promotion and you release Instagram from any liability whatsoever in connection with this promotion. You understand that you are providing information to the Sponsor and not to Instagram. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding the Model Search must be directed to the Sponsor, and not to Instagram. Instagram is a registered trademark of Instagram, Inc.

Personal information. The personal information collected on the participants of this Model Search are used only for the administration of the Model Search. No commercial communication or other, not linked to the Model Search, will be sent to the participants by the Model Search Organizers except if the participants have authorized the Model Search Organizers to send such communication or as allowed in the present Rules.